Firm boosts engineering training

Mechanical/automobile Engineering students of Lagos State University (LASU), Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri and Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, need not seek workshops off campus for practical automobile training thanks to ABC Transport which donated demonstration buses to them.

Representatives of the three tertiary institutions were presented the buses by Mr Frank Nneji, MD/CEO of the transport company at its headquarters in Lagos.

Nneji urged the representatives, which included the IMSU Vice-Chancellor and former ASUU President, Prof Ukachukwu Awuzie, to ensure that the buses serve the purpose for which they were given, and not for transportation.

“ABC Transport will hand over three buses to selected tertiary institutions. The beneficiaries are: Lagos State University (LASU), Imo State University (IMSU), and Federal Polytechnic, Nekede. These buses will not be used for transport purposes, but for practical and demonstrations in the automobile/mechanical engineering departments of these schools. ABC Transport believes education is a public service that demands collective trust and responsibility,” he said.

He expressed hope that the buses would fill the practical gap in the training of automobile/mechanical engineers in tertiary institutions, which he said has been lacking. He added that Nigeria has produced enough graduates since the company has been in business to assemble its own vehicles.

Appreciating the gesture, Awuzie said the vehicles would assist hands on learning as well as boost accreditation of the programmes, and may ultimately help Nigerian institutions learn to assemble vehicles locally.

He said: “This is very good. It means the department will have a full vehicle at their disposal which they can dismantle completely and begin to examine the parts. It becomes hands on learning. This is one of the requirements for accreditation. It came very timely. To teach our students before this came, we were getting the components; we might not get the full system. We also took the students to someone’s workshop for practical demonstration.

“As the MD said, this can be a beginning for us to assemble our own vehicles. This is a trial for us if we are talking about actually achieving technological development.”

Last year, the firm instituted the ABC Transport National University Scholarship Award which provided scholarships for 12 students from various Nigerian universities.

At the event, the firm also launched cameras for security surveillance on all new buses it acquires from now.